It’s that time of the year when students around the country are getting admission letters from Business Schools. Amidst all the celebrations there is also, for some, a feeling of uncertainty. Like venturing out into the dark. Lots of unknowns and questions, but whom to ask?
As I teach at a Business School, many prospective students reach out to me for guidance. Here is typically what I say.
Firstly, I always congratulate these young stars on cracking the admission process and landing a seat. Lakhs of students competing for limited slots in the top colleges creates a pressure cooker like environment. The entrance exams are rated as among the most challenging, so to even be invited for the second stage is an achievement of heroic and nerve-wracking proportions. Then, managing to stand apart during the competitive rounds of GD, PI and so on is no mean feat. So, guys and girls, breathe deeply, then breathe deeply again. Savor the feeling of being in an elite set of the best and brightest minds. You are indeed very special.
Some students ask how they should use the time available till opening day to prepare for the MBA. My standard response is to recommend staying abreast of current happenings in general, not necessarily focused only on corporate news. Business runs against a backdrop of forces that shape key outcomes, so everything that happens around us provides context in our work. Whether it is the growth rate of the economy, shifts in the composition of the work force or an obscure outbreak of fever in a midsized town in China that was the first sign of the current pandemic, everything is relevant and important. Well, I exaggerate when I say everything. Always good to be aware, though.
I also suggest that prospective students enjoy the time they have on their hands till Day One. After all, the next two years will be 24/7, hectic, intense and things like sleep, relaxation and hobbies will seem like ideas from another planet. Between lectures, group work, case study prep and assignment submissions, your life will be totally locked up. So now is the time to pause and enjoy the company of your parents and loved ones, indulge in movies, music, travel or whatever you love doing in your spare time. You won’t find much time to spare in most regular MBA programs.
I’m also asked how to make the most of the two years. This is the one question I really wait for because I have some clear views on this subject.
Over the years I have met students who treat the MBA only as a springboard to a job. They show scant respect for the rich content this program offers. Instead, they read email and WhatsApp messages during lectures, rarely work their way through case studies and treat articles, literature and other course reading materials as stuff to be summarized by less intelligent classmates.
While most of you will get the degree, some of you will take away only that and nothing more. A scroll of paper, saying Master of Business Administration, will be no defense when you meet your prospective employer in the placement season. Chances are you will land a job, some job, but not truly the job of your dreams. Worse still, it will soon be obvious to your peers and seniors at work that you don’t have the strong foundation other committed graduates have built for themselves.
On the other hand, those who commit to extracting the maximum this program can offer, will shine through. Deep knowledge and mastery come with sustained effort. Long hours spent debating alternative courses of action to solve a challenging case study. Scouring through the literature to find frameworks and models to address business challenges. Humbly surrendering to the knowledge and experience of faculty and industry captains. This is the process that builds great candidates whom companies will compete for.
Fact is, nothing was ever achieved without hard work. If you are investing two years of your life and fifteen to thirty lakhs of your parents’ hard-earned money on this program, then put your head down and work at it. It will pay rich dividends.
I always use the analogy of the movies. If you’ve paid the price of the ticket and bought the popcorn and soda, then for God’s sake watch the movie, so you can tell the story when you come out of the theatre. When your two-year long movie called “MBA” gets over, you better have a good story to tell the industry.
So, welcome to the best movie running in town. Enjoy the show.